Eazy English Grammar: Present Perfect Continuous (Present Tenses)

EXAMPLE:

I have been working as a teacher for 30 years.
What have you been doing?

The Present Perfect Continuous (Progressive) has a long and scary name. But don't worry! Read on to learn how to use it.

USE

Actions that started in the past and continue in the present
Actions that have recently stopped

USE 1: Continuation in the Present
We use the Present Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and continues in the present.
Examples:

He has been painting the house for 5 hours. (He's still painting it)
I have been working as a fireman since 1973. (I still work as a fireman)

USE 2: Past actions recently stopped
Use this tense also to talk about actions that began in the past and have recently stopped.
Examples:

I have been waiting for you for half an hour! (I'm not waiting anymore because you have come)
Look at her eyes! I'm sure she has been crying. (She stopped crying when she saw them)

FORM
To form a sentence in the Present Perfect Continuous, what you need is:

The proper conjugation of the auxiliary verb "to have".
The auxiliary verb "to be" in the Past Participle form: "been".
The Present Participle of your verb (verb + ing)

1. Auxiliary Verb "to have"
We conjugate the auxiliary verb "to have" the same way we would conjugate the normal verb "to have

As you can see, the third person singular is irregular.
examples:

She has never seen my brother.
Neither of my brothers has ever driven a truck.

2. Auxiliary verb "to be"
The past participle of the verb "to be" is "been". This is also an auxiliary verb, and you must never forget about it!

~~I have working as a teacher for 16 years.~~
I have been working as a teacher for 16 years.>

3. The Present Participle
The present participle is of a verb is a verb form that appears with the present tenses. The present participle is formed by adding -ing to the verb.